Work on creating an £8.5m ‘fish pass’ that will allow species to swim freely up the River Trent at Colwick is nearing completion – with an opening date to be revealed shortly.
When opened, the structure at Holme Sluices will become the largest of its kind in the country and will serve as an ‘elevator’ to allow fish to hop up and downstream.
The Environment Agency said the pass was needed as there were presently a number of barriers to fish migration within the River Trent catchment. These include the Holme Sluices, a major flood management structure built back in the 1950s.
The site is now nearing completion (PHOTO: Trent Gateway)PICTURE: The site pictured back in August 2023 (Twitter/Environment Agency)
The agency says the direct environmental benefits of the fish pass will be worth £18.6m.
Simon Ward, fisheries technical specialist, said: “Our priority is to open up the River Trent for all fish species.
“By installing fish passage, it will become easier for salmon and other fish to reach their spawning and feeding grounds.”
He said the agency was working with a number of partners on the wider project for the river, known as the Trent Gateway, and other possible plans could eventually include a visitor centre telling the story of the Trent, its history, ecology and how it has shaped communities along its length.
Morrisons is offering 5p off every litre at the pumps this week.
All customers who spend £35 between Monday, October 16, and Sunday, October, 22 will receive a coupon giving them 5p off every litre of fuel they purchase.
The offer is available to customers who shop in-store or online including those using the Click & Collect service.
The supermarket chain has a store at Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield.
The coupon is redeemable at all Morrisons petrol stations and customers have until Monday, October 30 to spend it.
Morrisons also launched its More Card earlier this year and one of the perks of the scheme is that customers can earn five More Points for every litre of fuel purchased at a Morrisons petrol filling station. They can also earn More Points on selected products in-store, in petrol filling station kiosks and online. When reaching 5,000 points, customers are rewarded with a ‘Morrisons Fiver’ that can be spent both in-store and online.
Rachel Eyre, Chief Customer & Marketing Officer at Morrisons, said: “We know that fuel remains a significant cost for many households and so this offer aims to help budgets go a little further. On top of the 5p per litre discount, More Card customers will still earn their usual five points for every litre of fuel which will help build up their points so they can be rewarded with Morrisons Fivers.”
The required £35 customer spend excludes items such as fuel, tobacco, tobacco-related products (including vapes), lottery products, Morrisons café, gift vouchers & cards, infant/formula milk, cash back, dry cleaning, fireworks, online games and instant tickets, photo printing, saver stamps, postage stamps, ‘top-up’ mobile phone cards, delivery charges/pass, garden centre & pharmacy.
A bar in Arnold has been denied permission to make its opening hours slightly longer over noise and disturbance fears.
An application to vary a premises licence for Sashas Bar, on 46 Front Street Arnold was refused by Gedling Borough Council.
Owners wanted to extend the opening hours on Friday and Saturday by one hour to 2.30am and sale of alcohol on the same evenings until 2am. Late-night entertainment would run until 2am.
The bar’s application to supply alcohol both on and off the premises was approved.
The council’s licensing panel heard evidence from Alexander Smith (the applicant) and William Langston, an Environmental Health Officer for Gedling Borough Council.
REJECTED: The application was rejected by Gedling Borough Council
William Langston (Environmental Health Officer) said he objected to the opening hours extension on the grounds of ‘public nuisance’.
He told the committee: “As you will be aware, last year we served an Abatement notice upon Sashas Bar as a result of loud music escaping the premises and adversely affecting many local residents.
Since then, there has been an overall improvement on the noise levels in this part of Front Street, however, it is certainly not perfect, and there is still a lot of noise escaping from Sasha’s Bar every time the door opens for customers entering or exiting.
“Currently, this is limited to the music being turned off at 1am. An extension to 2am prolongs the amount of noise residents are enduring and this would be unacceptable for residents in my opinion.”
The panel refused the application for the variation of the Premises Licence in relation to extending the opening hours on Friday and Saturday to 02:30hrs, extending the sale of alcohol on Friday and Saturday to 02:00hrs, extending regulated entertainment (live and recorded music) to 02:00hrs and extending the provision of late night refreshment to 02:00hrs.
The full details of the panel hearing are available HERE.
Nottingham’s NHS and care services say they are in a strong position to cope with serious added pressures and demand for hospital beds this winter.
Each year council care planners and medics work together to predict how they can best ensure hospitals can keep working effectively during colder weather.
The period is know for a significant rise in demand on the NHS as older and more vulnerable people are more likely to fall seriously ill with conditions such as flu, Covid, and other respiratory problems.
This can create serious backlogs in hospitals if patients fit for discharge cannot find space in the care system if they are unable to look after themselves at home, meaning they can end up staying longer in hospital even though they are well and ready to leave.
At one point last winter more than 170 Nottingham patients fit for discharge were left stuck in hospital because there was no appropriate place for them to go to.
Every year Nottingham City Council uses a winter plan to support adult social care services during a “period of particularly high pressure”.
The issue was discussed at the council’s health and adult social care committee on October 12.
Richard Groves, head of service for access and prevention at Nottingham City Council, explained how the council and NHS had implemented new measures in the last year to combat the problem.
Mr Groves said that this time last year, the service was using 40 ‘interim beds’ from Nottingham City Homes for patients who could not be transferred from hospital to home straight away.
At the moment, he said only 10 interim beds are being used.
Council papers stated its social care workforce has also seen a lower turnover rate as a result of a new pay and progression model.
The turnover rate for social workers has improved from 22.73 per cent in 21/22 to 10.91 per cent in 22/23.
Mr Groves added: “We are in a very positive position going into winter this year. We have seen significant improvements in terms of discharge and social care enablement.
“We were seeing significant waits for that service with 177 people waiting in September 2022. The numbers have remained in single figures now since March this year.
“That’s attributed to work we’ve done around discharge through the Better Care Fund to increase capacity within the homecare market.
“In terms of this year’s winter plan, we continue to have regular system meetings with health colleagues.
“We brought in additional contracts to support homecare and we will continue to do that this winter.”
He added that the service is part of the ‘Transfer of Care Hub’ which was originally piloted last year.
It enables ‘most’ people to be transferred from hospital to a home setting within 24 hours.
Mr Groves added: “We do still see high levels of pressure in terms of hospital admissions.
“This is unfortunately impacted by strike action. I believe we haven’t ever really come out of winter pressures.
“We are seeing high demands for adult social care, which are reflective of the national picture.”
Cllr Linda Woodings (Lab), Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, said the council started to use non-accredited homecare companies so more patients could be discharged from hospital.
This refers to an accreditation process Nottingham City Council has for homecare providers who are already registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Cllr Woodings said: “Some of those providers are now gaining accreditation.
“We took a bit of a risk because we had delays which were stopping people coming out of hospital.
“We widened our supply and did additional quality checks on the work they were doing.”
Cllr Woodings added: “I want to praise Richard and his team for the job they did.
“At one stage last winter 177 people were in the queue to come out of hospital.
“They have worked tirelessly and now we have been in single figures for a long period of time now.
“We got extra funding last winter from the government to help us.
“We feel we’re in a better position this year than we were last year.”
Gemma Whysall system delivery director urgent care ICB, added that a ‘system control centre’ has been established ahead of this winter.
She said: “We are trying to look at live data all the time to make sure we are matching demand and capacity across the health and care system.”
A Gedling borough councillor has resigned from the Labour Party over leader Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Councillor Russell Whiting, who represents Colwick on Gedling Borough Council, said in a social media post that he has resigned and is unhappy about the leader’s refusal to criticise Israel over cutting off food and water to over 2m people in Gaza and also on the order to evacuate 1m people in the area, giving them just 24 hours to leave.
“The Labour Party should always be willing to stand up for injustices and call out wrongs, no matter where they take place or who is responsible,” Whiting said.
“The initial failure of Sir Keir Starmer to criticise Israel cutting food, water and electricity to 2,000,000 people in Gaza, or the order to evacuate more than 1,000,000, with nowhere to go and only 24 hours to do it, is reprehensible”
The Colwick councillor said he could not back Starmer as Prime Minister of the country following his comments over Israel, only backing down after a public outcry.
PICTURED: Labour leader Sir Keir StarmerPICTURED: Cllr Russell Whiting represents Colwick on Gedling Borough Council
When questioned last week on LBC about whether “cutting off power and water” to more than two million people, half of whom are children, was appropriate. Sir Keir agreed that Israel “has that right”.
Whiting added: “Politics is about compromise. But there are some things I cannot and will not compromise on. If challenging Sir Keir Starmer on the basic rights of women and children living in a war zone means I can no longer take the Labour Whip, so be it.
“I will continue to serve the residents of Colwick to the best of my ability as an independent councillor. I send my solidarity to those grieving in Israel and Palestine, those living in the middle of this nightmare and those around the world campaigning to end the war, end the occupation and bring hope to the men, women and children of Palestine. May calm heads and peace-filled hearts prevail.”
On Monday (16) Sir Keir insisted in parliament that civilians in Gaza “must not be targeted” as he called for humanitarian corridors to be opened to allow the supply of food, water and electricity to the Gaza Strip.
Sir Keir also said the international community must keep “striving for a two-state solution” to the conflict. “We cannot let Hamas brutality be a catalyst for conflict in the wider region. Engagement between Israel and Arab nations must be strengthened not abandoned.”
The Labour leader said it is “crucial that this House speaks with one voice in condemnation of terror, in support for Israel in its time of agony and for the dignity of all human life”.
Police were called after a man from Arnold tried to take an extended baton into a Nottingham nightclub.
Security guards at NG1 in Lower Parliament Street rang police after discovering the weapon at around 3am on Sunday (15), as they searched revellers queuing to get inside.
Officers arrived and seized the baton.
Michael Terry, of Calverton Road was arrested at the scene and has been charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
PICTURED: Nottingham Magistrates’ Court
The 42-year-old was granted bail and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court at a later date.
PC Phil Round, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We will not tolerate people carrying weapons of any sort. There is simply no excuse and we will always look to take action against those who are found to commit such offences.
“I hope our swift response to this incident and subsequent charge reassures members of the public how seriously we take this type of incident.”
A popular pie shop in Carlton has urged its customers to pay their bills with cash after revealing the amount of fees it has to pay for the use of its card machine.
The notice revealed that the small business is paying £300 each month in fees for the use of its card machine.
Bank charges for card machines vary depending on a number of factors, but typically include a percentage per transaction for credit cards and a flat fee per transaction for debit cards.
PICTURED: The queue outside Project Pies on Carlton Hill when it opened back in February (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)
In the social media post, Project Pie encouraged its customers to pay with cash so the fees do not eat into its profits.
Danny Lione who runs the store, wrote: I’ve had an amazing eight months now and I can’t believe how much we produce and sell.
“I’ve had this amazing little pie shop for almost eight months now and I seriously cannot believe how much we produce and sell. And that’s simply down to you, the people.
“I understand paying by card is quick and easy BUT together we can help each other out.
I pay around £300 on my card machine each month and it’s a very cheap rate too, so all I ask is if you can pay by cash, I’ll give you a small discount. It might only be 50p or £1 a depending on your purchase but throughout the year we (the people) will benefit. It might not seem a lot but put those savings in a child’s piggy bank and it will grow slowly.”
The store on Carlton Hill replaced Big Mike’s Fat Kitchen Cheesecake Shop that closed at the end of December.
Council managers have faced questions over whether more could have been done to prevent ‘horrendous’ treatment of children at a special needs school near Ravenshead which was later forced to close by inspectors.
The Harlow Academy, which was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, was shut in August 2022.
It followed a number of “serious safeguarding matters” being found during a visit by the education watchdog, which said pupils were not being kept safe and were at risk of “immediate and imminent harm”.
At the time the school had 79 pupils, aged three to 18, with severe learning difficulties, physical disabilities and complex medical needs.
The school, which was run by the Evolve Trust, was closed down following the concerns. The building has since re-opened as Fountaindale School, under a different trust.
PICTURED: County Hall
The events were discussed by a committee at Nottinghamshire County Council on Monday (October 16), which led some members to ask council officers why more was not done before Ofsted intervened.
The council’s director of children’s services said neither they nor Ofsted had been able to specifically identify any child exposed to what would be considered serious harm.
A review into the situation by Dr Mark Peel has since been completed, which led to a report published in June.
The review concluded there is “considerable hurt and anger in the parent and carer community about what has happened”.
The report found during the autumn 2021 term, there were 20 incidents of concern reported about care at the school.
These were lodged by staff at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which oversees care for people with intellectual disability and mental health problems.
The concerns included inappropriate use of restraint, failure to provide equipment and poor management.
The review concluded Nottinghamshire County Council, the healthcare trust and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group did not put a process in place to address the safeguarding concerns.
The situation was discussed by county councillors at a children and young people’s committee on Monday (October 16).
One councillor questioned why a ‘serious incident notification’ was not raised with Ofsted before the closure.
A serious incident notification is raised when a child dies or is seriously harmed.
Another councillor said there was a “culture of bullying” within the school and said some children suffered from abuse.
Cllr Anne Callaghan (Lab) said: “The physiotherapists and the speech therapists, pulled out of Harlow Academy because of what was going on.
“The county council knew, so why wasn’t a serious incident notification raised?
“The report doesn’t reflect the seriousness of what took place at Harlow Academy to some of our most vulnerable youngsters.”
But Lawrence Jones, Service Director, Children and Families, said: “We could not identify a child who had been seriously harmed and Ofsted did not notify us of a child who had been seriously harmed.
“Arguably, children may have been harmed, the question is around the question of seriousness.
“We treated the issues regarding Harlow as if a serious incident notification had been made.”
Cllr Callaghan replied: “In over 30 years working for Nottinghamshire County Council, I never come across a school where Ofsted came and within five minutes closed that school down.
“There obviously were serious issues.”
Cllr Michelle Welsh (Lab) told the committee that she had met some parents from Harlow Academy.
She said one child was left in their wheelchair all day when they were supposed to be having physiotherapy – and has now been left with long-term complications.
She said: “What those kids went through was utterly horrendous.
“It went on for far too long. I’ve never known Ofsted to go in and virtually shut down a school straight away.
“How many complaints were made to the county council? Did we visit the school when we received a complaint?
“Are we reassured that in the future, if someone makes a safeguarding complaint that we as a local authority will do something?
“What are we doing now for some of those families and parents and children who suffered? I would say some of it was abuse.
“Surely alarm bells would start ringing when the NHS pulled their therapies from that school because of a culture of bullying.”
Colin Pettigrew, Corporate Director, Children and Families, said: “The chronology, who knew what when, and how parents and carers were supported is all subject to a report in the public domain that was published in June of this year.
“That report was shared with all the parents and carers.
“Harlow was being led by the Evolve trust which has been closed down.
“The schools that the Evolve trust were responsible for managing have all been transferred to alternative providers.”
Tracey Taylor, cabinet member for children and families, (Con) said: “Much as the Harlow example has been horrendous, the benefit that has come out of the report is that it has identified our problems that could exist anywhere else in the country.
“I take the recommendations from the independent report as a huge benefit.”
The borough’s dedicated police team have presented their priorities for making Gedling a safer place to live in over the next month.
Gedling’s Neighbourhood Police Team plan to focus on tackling anti-social behaviour as the nights draw in.
The police agree their priorities with Gedling Borough Council‘s Portfolio holder and they have agreed to focus on the following areas
• Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Front Street and parks in and around Arnold • Tackling anti-social behaviour in Netherfield • Tackling antisocial behaviour associated with car cruisers – Operation Triplefin
A police spokesman said: “It is very important for us to stress that we are confident we know who several of the perpetrators of ASB in the Arnold and Netherfield area are. As a result, we will be targeting these people, including working with their families to intervene and educate. This will give them an opportunity to reflect on their behaviour, how that is impacting on the local community and hopefully change.
Police also revealed last month’s priorities delivered some successful outcomes.
They focussed on addressing car cruising in the Netherfield area, under Op Triplefin. Colleagues from Gedling Borough Council have also complimented this work with the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to the area.
In the last three months the team have achieved the following:
17 x Sec 59’s 10 x RFS/TORs issued for varying offences 7 Vehicles seized using Sec 165 powers 2 Vehicles seized using sec 59 powers 3 Arrest for Driving Unfit through drugs (namely cannabis) 1 Arrest for Drink Drive
They have also issued seven prosecutions for a breach of the PSPO.
Bed bug sightings are on the rise in the UK – but would you know what to do if you spotted them in your home?
With recent bed bug outbreaks across Paris, there are concerns we could soon see a similar outbreak here in the UK.
Because of this, experts at Bed Kingdom have provided seven signs to look out for and some tips to remove bed bugs from your bedroom.
Unusual smell
One of the early signs of bed bugs is a strange, musty scent lingering in your bedroom, despite there being no clear cause of it being there, such as a dirty pile of clothes. When bed bugs feel threatened, they emit what is called alarm pheromones which have a faint smell of raspberries, cilantro, or almonds – and in severe bed bug cases, this smell we be mixed with the odour of dead bugs and shed cell casings which creates a rusty scent.
Bites
If you wake up with red, itchy bites, this could be a sign of bed bugs as they typically feed on blood during the night. Usually, bites will appear on arms, hands, and legs and will be in small clusters of a few bites, but they can also show up in single bites. These bites are not usually dangerous, but some people can be allergic – so if you experience extreme itchiness, swelling, blisters, or a fever it’s crucial to seek help from a medical professional.
Blood stains
Once a bed bug is finished feeding itself, the blood can leak out if you squash them during your sleep by sudden movements like rolling over. If you notice any small splotches of blood on your bed sheets or clothing, check for anything on your body first that could be the cause, like a scab. If there’s no visible cause of the blood, it’s likely that these stains occurred from bedbugs.
Dark, brown marks
Dark marks from bed bug droppings about the size of a pen tip can appear on mattresses, sheets, headboards, and even your walls, and they’re a lot smaller than blood stains. They will also give off a faint, rusty smell that contributes to the unusual odour altogether.
Eggs
Bed bug eggs can be hard to spot, as they are only around 1mm long – but they can be found by paying attention to anything that looks like small rice grains in your bed. They can be loosely stuck to different types of surfaces, typically the mattress seams and joints or behind the headboard.
Shell casings
Often easier to spot than the bed bugs themselves, shell casings are an early sign of infestation. Bed bugs shed several times during different lifecycle stages, meaning that their shell casings can come in different sizes – but you can spot them by their yellow, translucent appearance in the seams, folds, and crevices of mattresses, or even other areas such as cracks in walls and furniture.
Live bed bugs
It can be quite a challenge to spot a live bed bug, as they normally look for a hiding place, however with a severe infestation you are more likely to notice them. Adult bed bugs are approximately 4-5mm long, with bed bug nymphs starting at just 1mm. Their hiding spots can be various places from your bed and the area next to it to furniture and your walls.
How to remove them from your bedroom
It can be difficult to completely get rid of bedbugs, especially with a severe infestation, so it’s advised to contact the council or a pest control service to ensure they’re no longer taking over your bedroom. However, there are some steps you can take yourself to put your mind at ease.
First of all, try to identify all of the areas where the bed bugs could be hiding by using a flashlight and a magnifying glass. This includes your entire bed, cushions, cracks in walls and furniture, loose wallpaper, the seam between wallpaper and the ceiling, and underneath decorations on your wall.
Wash all of your affected bedding on clothing on a hot wash, as well as using the tumble dryer on a hot setting for a minimum of half an hour. For anything that can’t be washed, place them in plastic bags and leave in the freezer for 3-4 days.
Using an insecticide is not recommended as some of them can contain harmful chemicals that can be dangerous when used indoors, but you can opt for a bed bug spray to use before vacuuming which is typically safe for mattresses and furniture.
Clear out any rubbish from your bedroom and put it in the bin, such as magazines, and make space ready to vacuum. Use a vacuum on the entire floor, making sure to get all of the corners – you can use the small wand to get into other areas of the bedroom, such as furniture and cracks in the wall.
A spokesperson from Bed Kingdom told Gedling Eye: “Since the bed bug crisis began in Paris, people across the globe are anxious that these insects will soon take over their home. While getting cosy in bed on an evening is something that many people look forward to at the end of the day, this time to unwind may now be ruined for many due the fear of bed bugs living in your bedroom.
“Knowing the signs of bed bugs is now more important then ever so that you can get back to relaxing quickly and avoid a more complicated process of removing them.”
